This past Tuesday it was a real pleasure to have Matt Moran, Dan Moran, Jonas Walker, and James Gedda in the YTAA studio and then have the opportunity to go to The Hidden Gem Music Club and see them play a fantastic show. The concert was ably opened by James Gedda. His baritone and alt-country swagger reminds a listener of Dave Alvin crossed with Darius Rucker with just a pinch of Sturgill Simpson. Gedda’s humor and authentic sensibility set the perfect mood for the night. Give a listen to his excellent music!

Then Matt Moran & The Palominos kicked the night into the stratosphere! An incredible set of songs that featured tunes from Matt Moran’s excellent Heartache Kid and Heartache Kid Acoustic records. The band was tighter than a fused bolt. Across a sonic theater that included a high-energy cover of ‘Atlantic City,’ the band barrelled like a runaway train going downhill. To say that the band demonstrated the kind of chemistry that a group would sell their soul to possess is an understatement.

The harmonies between Matt and Dan Moran had that blood harmony that is only held by brothers who not only grew up together but know where all the bodies are buried and hold the secrets of one another close to their hearts. Speaking of Dan Moran, his bass runs were impressive and yet never overwhelmed the songs. If bass is the secret weapon in music, then Dan is the guard of the armory.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the incredible work behind the drum kit. Jonas Walker added the right amount of percussion, fills, and sways to every song regardless of the tempo. His enthusiasm was infectious while bobbing his head, smiling, and adding the occasional yelp and scream but only when it added spice to the song.

Matt’s voice is an all too rare gift. Even when he is singing a song written about characters he created from his fertile imagination about a restaurant that he regularly drove by but could not go in because the reality might not match the story written in one’s mind – ‘Break Her Heart‘ – you would swear that he was singing about a heartbreak that he could only have experienced himself to be able to draw upon such emotion.

If you are unfamiliar with Matt Moran & The Palominos, then you have some musical homework. Don’t worry, you are going to love it. Matt is on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Bandcamp. Plus his own site.